by Olivia Young

For the next three months, six high schoolers and one college student are running the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance’s farmers market in a program that explores food justice, teaches hands-on gardening and cooking skills, and introduces students to running a weekly business.

The Youth Run Farmstand sits at the corner of Orloff Avenue and Gale Place in Train Park Garden. On Wednesdays from 2 to 7 p.m. through Oct. 28, the students chat with customers, add up order totals and lead cooking demos.

Sara Kempton, the alliance’s program director for garden and environmental education, said she spearheaded the program 14 years ago. Kempton said she’s proud to be a part of high school students’ lives as they’re starting to make their own food choices. Kids are exposed to fruits and vegetables at the market they’ve never tried before, and are also given a space to learn basic cooking skills.

This is something that resonated with 15-year-old Sonny Caruso, who said he learned in a cooking demo that peaches and beets are a tasty combination, something he didn’t expect. Caruso said he is also learning about the benefits of sustainable food.

A sustainable food system is one that delivers food security and nutrition, while making sure not to compromise economic, social or environmental bases, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The experience is also about real-life development, Christina Taylor, deputy director of the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, said. For some of the students, it serves as a first job, and they are learning to communicate with management. For others it’s about expanding their ability to connect with others. 

“This gives them a lot of opportunity to engage in small talk with people who are not like them, who don’t share the same interests necessarily, or aren’t in the same age group,” Taylor said. “That’s a very useful skill.”

The location, within walking distance of Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, was intentional, Kempton and Taylor explained — there are limited spots in Van Cortlandt Village that offer a wide produce selection.

Kennedy Lindley, 15, described the phenomenon as a “food desert,” saying the market was a healthy, affordable alternative for neighbors. Setting up the market and talking to customers was her favorite part of the program so far, Lindley said.

Shelley Spiegel, an Amalgamated resident, said the items at the market were better than others in the neighborhood, and closer to her building.

Keywords

Youth Run Farmstand,

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance,

Van Cortlandt Park,

Bronx farmers market,

food justice,

sustainable food,

youth employment,

Train Park Garden,

Riverdale,

Van Cortlandt Village,

community garden,

healthy food,

cooking demonstrations,

environmental education,

local produce